No format plays as smoothly as raw MiniDV AVI files

[jackdarabbit]

I keep trying to convert my raw MiniDV AVI files to save some space. Nothing I try on Handbrake produces a video files that plays as smoothly on my monitor.

The raw AVI looks buttery smooth at 29fps.

When I convert it with Handbrake in MP4 or MKV, I cannot get it to look at smooth. I'm trying .264/.265. .265 looks the same quality in terms of capturing noise details, but it will not playback as smoothly.

If I compress without deinterlace, I get annoying interlacing.

Yes, I am embarrassed to admit I do not understand why my AVI plays without interlacing, but a converted file does.

I've tried constant same FPS, higher quality, everything.

What amazes me is no matter how much I Google, I cannot find anyone who has suggested settings to solve this issue so maybe there is no way to make an AVI look as good in any format?

[aedipuss]

standard miniDV is interlaced and needs to be de-interlaced to progressive. i don't usually use handbrake but what you should turn on is called the decomb filter not the one called deinterlace. it's a smarter version of yadif de-interlacer. you also need to use a high enough bitrate to keep things looking good.

[jackdarabbit]

standard miniDV is interlaced and needs to be de-interlaced to progressive. i don't usually use handbrake but what you should turn on is called the decomb filter not the one called deinterlace. it's a smarter version of yadif de-interlacer. you also need to use a high enough bitrate to keep things looking good.

Thanks, I'll try that.

But I don't understand why the raw AVI from miniDV plays without interlacing artifacts on my Windows 10 PC?

[poisondeathray]

Set the deinterlacer to "bob", which doubles the framerate . Each field becomes a frame. Right now you're probably throwing away half the information if you're encoding it as 29.97p

But I don't understand why the raw AVI from miniDV plays without interlacing artifacts on my Windows 10 PC?

There are artifacts for sure - deinterlacing artifacts . It's automatically bob deinterlaced in some programs like WMP. But it probably looks "good enough" for most people . It's bob deinterlacing on the fly, displaying 59.94p unique images per second . Not 29.97 which is less smooth

[Cornucopia]

If I were you, I would not get rid of the original DV files, just offload them after converting.

Scott

[DB83]

I rarely convert and even more rarely use handbrake for that.

But since I did have a DV file on my PC I threw it to the old version of the program that I have. Did nothing except set the output file and a preset - in this case H.265 MKV 576p25 (since this was a PAL source)

The resultant file does look as smooth as the original. Played it with default settings in vlc which does not de-interlace.

Would you be trying to upscale ?

[jackdarabbit]

Oddly enough, I set "bob" on with no difference. Then I upped the framerate in handbrake to 59.94 and I kid you not, my MKV file now looks at smooth as the AVI, but of course it's almost twice as large as the 29,x framerate MKV.

Edit: I kept framerate at 59.94 but selected "peak framerate" on Handbrake, which resulted in a file still almost twice as large, but in details on the file it says framerate is 29.97. Weird.

[jackdarabbit]

OK so here's what I discovered.

If I set handbrake frame rate to "same as source" or "29.97", my miniDV file is not as smooth no matter what other settings I use. My test file output on MKV is about 41mb.

If, however, I set handbrake frame rate to "59.94" and then select "Peak Framrate", my miniDV file plays smoothly as the AVI and is about 57mb with other quality settings same as above.

[Bernix]

Peak framerate is nonsense. Do deinterlace using bob, and framerate as original. You should get 59.94 fps. Peak framerate is pure evil and you can have trouble to play or edit it.

Bernix

[DB83]

As I said, I know little about the inner workings of this program.

But I just looked under the hood at the preset I used above. The decomb filter is set which explains the playback under vlc. Video encoding is set at RF 20 and on my system encoding is very slow. BTW Peak framerate is also set

When you ask for help it does help if you answer the questions raised. So here is another. Just how long is that 41mb mkv ? Bitrate can also have an effect on final output so go to low and and you do not get that smooth result. I do suspect that those fast presets also compromise in this respect.

[DB83]

Just a couple of stats as well.

Video length 1mn59sec. Original DV 411mb. MKV 69.9mb

[johnmeyer]

I read the OP's #1 several times, but didn't see any mention of what media player is being used. This makes a HUGE difference. I would recommend using VLC, and also recommend letting it do the deinterlacing (saves a step).

I also second the recommendation that you keep the DV AVI files. In fact, just buy a couple of big drives, put the DV AVI files on those, and you don't have to deal with deinterlacing, slow playback, etc.

But, if you want to play h.264, use something other than Windows Media Player, and as you look for a better player, try VLC first.

[jackdarabbit]

@bernix and @DB83

OK after re-trying Bernix's suggestions, here is what I discovered that gave me smooth playback similar to source AVI.

1. I must set FPS to "same as source". Choosing 29.97 does NOT work, but this also means I did not have to use the 59.94 trick anymore.
2. Deinterlace must be set to Yadif + Bob. Decomb + Bob does not produce the smooth AVI-like playback, but Yadif + Bob does.

@DB83 - are you using Yadif? I wonder why my source miniDV requires it on Handbrake 1.07?

[Bernix]

Hi,
or you can use Avidemux. Good is you have better control over codecs settings and also better audio AAC codec (FDK), and some other filters that Handbrake/vidcoder is missing.
In filters there is also Yadif, but you can use bob + temporal spatial check. You have also specify field order, but you can get this easily for example in Avidemux itself or in mediainfo. You also can easily specify what part you want to process.
Disadvantage is it has not queue.

Bernix

[DB83]

@bernix and @DB83


@DB83 - are you using Yadif? I wonder why my source miniDV requires it on Handbrake 1.07?

My version is 1.01 and I gather there are significant differences between that older one and a more current version.

The filter selection is either off, Yadif or Decomb. Decomb was automatically selected by, I assume, the preset

I also now note that frame rate is set at 25 rather than 'same as source'. But again I guess that was the work of the preset. And scrolling through the list does alter that.

Maybe you should try one of the presets rather than 'rolling your own'

[aedipuss]

you seem to need some background. minidv is 720x480 29.97i. a single frame is made up of 2 fields of 720x240 recorded at different times. so every other line in the video is recorded separately. if you bob them you get weird up and down distortion from the 720x240 video fields recorded at different times stretched to 720x480. if you deinterlace or decomb them you get some diagonal weirdness because of the temporal separation of the fields.

there is no perfect way to convert it. choose whatever you prefer to watch.